Some say white marlin, which can reach a weight of 200 lbs. and more than 9 ft. in length, are a perfect gamefish - fast, powerful, hard to subdue and, as shown below, very acrobatic. (Photo, Bill Boyce)

Left, world record white marlin (73 lbs.) on the leader in the Azores. This line-class record, however, was broken a few months later in Brazil.

In the fall of 2001, Shanghai Charters' sportfishers were surrounded by white marlin. One of the boats from the island of Faial caught 157 in 5 days and 53 in one day! All were released.

(Photo, J. Vertommen)

Above, diver's view from below a sportfisher as a white marlin is leadered for the photo then revived and released. (Photo, Bill Boyce)

Above, light tackle action for Leo Cloostermans, who has to his credit a world record 573-lb. Atlantic blue marlin caught on 4-lb. test line - a fish weighing an astounding 161 times the breaking strength of his line. He also holds Atlantic blue marlin line class world records for 6-lb. (248.5 lbs.), 8-lb. (381 lbs.) and 12-lb. (604 lbs.). (Photo, J. Vertommen)

Longliners fish most heavily during the periods when the moon is brightest. So, this real-time image of the moon phase shows when the kill of swordfish is greatest and least. It also shows when the kill of blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, sharks, tunas, sea turtles, marine mammals and a host of other marine life is also greatest - even though they are not even targeted. For more, see link above.